Arch Enemy – Blood Dynasty
Arch Enemy – Blood Dynasty
Century Media
Release Date: 28/03/2025
Review by Rory Bentley
7/10
Swedish/Canadian/probably some other stuff Melodeath Masters Arch Enemy are back with another album of face-melting anthems to light up big stages and summer festivals all over the globe. Main man Michael Amott has promised a few surprises with this 12th release, loosening his iron grip on the rigid classic sound and leaving room for a few experiments. On hearing “Blood Dynasty” you should probably take this claim with a pinch of salt- it’s a bit experimental by Arch Enemy standards, however what we do get here is a bunch of very good Arch Enemy songs so there’s no complaints from me.
Although not reinventing the wheel, opener ‘Dream Stealer’ is an absolute cast-iron face-ripper that’s as nasty as anything the band have blasted out in their storied career. The riffs are scalpel sharp, and everyone is playing at a zillion miles an hour, and Alyssa spits every line with poison rapid fire intensity. Sometimes Arch Enemy lean a wee bit too heavily on the Melo and not enough on the Death for my taste but there is no such issue here. A familiar but nonetheless fantastic start. This momentum continues with the stomping ‘Illuminate The Path’ which has the fist pumping swagger of the “Anthems of Rebellion” era and comes with a massive clean sun chorus from Alyssa. One of the more positive developments of recent Arch Enemy albums is they make more use of Alyssa’s mighty vocal chops by unleashing her powerful melodic vocals here and there, though they have the good sense to know that it works because it’s used sparingly.
‘March of the Miscreants’ offers perhaps the first detour in sound for the record, despite initially kicking off in familiar ferocious fashion with the exception of the pitched screams in the chorus. Things take a more Folky turn during the mid-section, however, which has the rustic feel of “The Jester Race” era in flames as shredding riffs give way to jaunty melodies that for a moment at least, entirely forgo the aggression. It was a bit of a jarring listen the first time I heard it, but it’s a nice little sprinkle of something different in a style of music that is often guilty of being by-the-numbers.
‘Paper Tiger’ is another standout, though structurally and vocally pretty route one, there’s a flashy almost Hair Metal vibe to the riffing and leadwork that guitar nerds will get a real kick out of. I’m about as opposed to the sounds of the sunset strip as a man can be, yet I wasn’t mad at the widdly pyrotechnics that new boy Joey Concepcion brings to the table here. Though perhaps the biggest twist comes with closing banger ‘Liars and Thieves’, which starts off with almost Power Metal leadwork before going full on nasty D-beat. Naturally the lads are far too slick on their instruments to capture the rickety chaos of Discharge, but it’s cool to hear a band with such military precision sound like they’re cutting loose a little and injecting some Punk energy into the mix. Particularly when things go back to shredsville by the end.
Through all these little deviations, however, it is the meat and potatoes AE bangers that work best and will likely be what goes in the setlist. The title track has a classic Amott lead melody that sticks in the brain the second you hear it, and for all her considerable vocal prowess Alyssa is most effectively deployed roaring her tits off over killer guitarmonies and Daniel Erlandsson’s metronomic, pounding rhythms. They know what side their bread’s buttered on.
What we end up with, then, is a really enjoyable Arch Enemy album that does just enough to keep the band and more adventurous listeners interested but ultimately delivers more of what we’re used to. For me I found it a much more engaging listen than the previous two records, but I don’t see me reaching for this one over “Wages of Sin” or even “War Eternal”, but perhaps that’s not a reasonable expectation at this stage of the game. As it stands the main headline is- “Good band releases good album”, and sometimes that’s enough!
‘Liars & Thieves’ Official Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. Dream Stealer
02. Illuminate the Path
03. March of the Miscreants
04. A Million Suns
05. Don’t Look Down
06. Presage
07. Blood Dynasty
08. Paper Tiger
09. Vivre Libre
10. The Pendulum
11. Liars & Thieves
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Rory Bentley and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
